Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. announced that the number of Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip smartphones sold for enterprise use has more than doubled year on year. From January to October 2022, the number of foldable smartphones contracted by Samsung to enterprise customers increased by 105% over the same period in 2021.
With foldable smartphone shipments expected to reach 16 million units worldwide – a 73% increase year on year – the form factor is quickly becoming mainstream, with shipments expected to reach 26 million units by 2023. The ease of multitasking on a large screen, as well as powerful app optimizations for foldable devices, are driving enterprise adoption.
Companies are looking to technology for new ways to maximize productivity as they adopt work-from-anywhere policies. Foldables have piqued the interest of the financial services industry, where 74% of a survey of financial advisors say staying connected via mobile apps is important or critical.
“Samsung Galaxy foldable smartphones were created to open up opportunities for new ways to work and explore creativity,” said KC Choi, EVP and Head of Global Mobile B2B Team, MX Business at Samsung Electronics. “This rapid growth in investment demonstrates our enterprise customers’ need for meaningful innovations to enhance workforce productivity.”
Samsung’s fourth-generation foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Z Fold4, is a multitasking powerhouse ideal for business use. Despite its small size, it has a large, expansive screen that makes it easier to get things done than traditional smartphone screens.
The large screen of the Galaxy Z Fold4 provides a larger working area, making it ideal for taking advantage of desktop computer features. The PC-like Taskbar, which allows users to manage, launch, and switch between apps without interrupting work, is the ideal tool for juggling multiple tasks and pairs of apps.
The large screen space is also ideal for working with multiple windows. The Galaxy Z Fold4 can run three apps at the same time, including two of the same app for side-by-side comparisons. Users, for example, can respond to Gmail while simultaneously viewing two Chrome browser tabs, much like working at a desk with multiple screens.
The Galaxy Z Fold4 also adjusts to workflow requirements. Flex Mode now supports dedicated e-signature or note-taking capabilities on partner apps using S Pen, in addition to providing a hands-free experience for major video conferencing tools.
These experiences have proven to be popular in a variety of business and industry sectors. Competition is fierce in the current market, particularly in the financial services sector. Professionals require the best tools to ensure consistency and routine, even when working remotely.
Their devices must support complex workflows, including alerts, research, charts and portfolios, and give them the power and productivity advantage they need to stay competitive. Working with industry-leading partners, Samsung has enhanced Galaxy Z Fold4’s utility in unique ways, leading to wider adoption of foldables for enterprise use.
According to a recent survey, the Bloomberg Professional app is the most used financial services app by investment professionals, such as traders, analysts and portfolio managers. It takes advantage of the Galaxy Z Fold’s unique form factor to enable financial professionals to access Bloomberg’s market data, analytics, news, and communications on the go in a more intuitive and immersive way, while preserving the user experience and functionality with which they are familiar. On Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4, the Bloomberg Professional app’s adaptive layout provides for easy continuity and multitasking on the go. Users can effortlessly switch from the cover screen, ideal for quick Instant Bloomberg (IB) conversations, to the large screen that makes it easier to read news stories, monitoring real-time market data, browse portfolios or perform chart analysis. This allows financial professionals to do familiar work in an enhanced way on their foldable device.
DocuSign, which offers the world’s leading e-signature solution and is used by 24 of the top 25 Fortune 500 Financial companies has also been optimized for Android 12L. The Galaxy Z Fold4’s takes the hassle out of signing agreements on large screens. Users can now quickly drag and drop email attachments in multi-view mode directly into DocuSign eSignature, seal deals quickly on the go with Samsung’s S Pen and the dedicated Flex Mode signature.
And, for the financial professionals constantly in and out of the office, DocuSign created a PC-Like experience using Samsung DeX mode. Simply connect the device to a monitor and thanks to DocuSign’s high-resolution support and adaptive design approach, professionals receive the same grade experience for any screen size or orientation.
Samsung also collaborated with IBM to address challenges financial professionals may face helping clients while working from anywhere. IBM iX, the experience design partner within IBM Consulting, worked with a leading financial institution to develop the mobile experience, helping wealth advisors quickly access and manage market and portfolio information. The integration of Samsung DeX and S Pen enables users to interact with data, drag and drop files between apps, translate handwriting to text and even capture digital signatures in a full desktop-like environment on their foldable device. Samsung’s philosophy of openness also enabled the incorporation of other popular applications for video conferencing, client contacts, email and schedules within a multi-app interface.
Samsung is committed to working with industry-leading partners to create new mobile experiences, and collaborating more closely in coming months to take advantage of ground-breaking technologies like foldable smartphones.